Cotton-chopper.



J. A. FULLER. CQTTON CHOPPER. fPPLre-ATIQN PILBD smmgs, 1.907.

Patented Feb. 2, 1909-. 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

J. A. FULLER. COTTON CHOPPBR. MPLIOATIQN FILED SEPT. 2a. 1901.

sus ca.. wAsh-mcron, .c.

' JAMES A. FULLR, OFATLANTA,

GEORGIA, AssI'GNoR'oE ONE-HALF 'ro w. A. TEAT, or

ATLANTA, GEORGIA,

ooTToN-onoPrEa.

Specification of Letterslatent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

Appiieaaon aies september 2s, 1907. serial No. 395,002.

To all whom it may concern.' j f Be it known that I, JAMES A. FULLER, a citi-` zen ofthe United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State ofGeorgia, have invented a new and useful Cotton- Chop per, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates vto improvements in cotton choppers. v

The` object of the'present invention is to improve the construction of cotton choppers, an to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive one capable of ready adjustment to suit the size of the cotton plants and the character of the soil, and adapted to remove the soil from each side of the cotton plants preparatory to thinning out the same and to guide the plants tothe cutting means, Whereby the plants may be accurately cut to the desired extent and the uncut plants left Vat regular intervals. A Y Y The invention also has -for its object to enable the soil to be cultivated at each side of a row of cotton plants, and to provide means for throwing the ysoil towards the plants after the chopping operation has been completed. 's

With Athese and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustratedin the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes. in the form, proportion, size and minor details of'construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted .to without departing from the s irit orsacricing any of the advantages o the invention. n the drawings :-Figure 1 is a side eleva-y tion of a cotton chopper, constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2is a longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view. Fig. 4is a transverse sectional view, taken substantially on the line -x of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of the cotton'chopping disks.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a substantially rectangular frame, provided at its front with a suitable clevis`1EL for the attachment of draft animals and composed of side bars and front, rear and intermediate transverse connecting bars 2, 3 and 4, and provided with an intermediate arched portion 5. The intermediate transverse portion 4 is located in rear of the center of the frame, and a front plow operates in the space between the front transverse bar 2 and the intermediate transverse bar 4. The beam 6 of the front plow is hinged at its front end to the front transverse bar 2 by means of a rectangular loop 7, extending rearwardly from the bar 2 and consisting of a transverse pintle portion and spaced side portions, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. This hinge connection permits the front plow to be raised and lowered to engage it with and disengage it from the ground. The rear end of the plow beam 6.is arranged in a guide 8, consisting of a recess formed in the'front face of theintermediate bar 4, and adapted to hold the plow beam against material lateral movement. Thefront plow is provided with a pair of standards 9, secured at their upper ends to the opposite side faces of the standard 6 at the rear end thereof, ande uipped at their lower ends with suitable p owshare's, con-,- sisting of turning blades or mold boards 10 and extended landsides 11. The plows are s aced apart to receive a row of cotton E ants, and the turning blades or mold cards are ada ted to throw the soil from the plants and eave the latter on a. ridge, and the extended landsides, which form straight guides are arranged for guiding` the plants to a pair of horizontal chopping Vdisks 12 and 13, whereby greater accuracy in the chopping operation is effected. The landsides l1 are extended rearwardly to points beneath the front edges of. the horizontal chopping disks, so that the cotton plants are positively guided into engagement withthe cotton chopping mechanism.

The front plow is raised and lowered by means of a lever 14, fulcrumed on the intermediate arch 5 and consisting of a transverse shaft or pivot portion 15, a front L-shaped arm 16, and a rearwardly extending operating arm.. The intermediate pivot portion or shaft 15 is journaled in suitable bearings V17 of the arched portion 5, and is located at one side of the center thereof. The front L-shaped arm, which forms a crank, extends forwardly and is connected `with a centrally arranged link` 18, which is connected at its lower end with the plow beam 6, the latter 'being provided with an eye to receive the lowerf end of the link 18. The rearwardly 19 in a vertical position.

extending arm or handle 14 is arranged to engage. averticalf ratchet: 1.9,. Q Qnsietns Qi.; a. rod provided with a series of sigmoidal ben-ds;- and secured at its lower end to the rear por- 5 tion of one of the side beams, and provided at the top with a forwardly extending arm -Y The. armv 2.9, which iS Secured. tot the.

15. readily engaged with and disengaged fromthe notches formed by the sigmoidal bends, wherebythe front plow maybe held in position forengaging the soil'.

The cottonchopping disks 12and 13 are 20` providedwith peripheral cutting enges and arebeveled at theiropposite faces, the disk l2` beingbeveled at its upper face, y and the otherdisk 13" at its lower face to for-m the said cutting edges.- When the machine ismoved for-ward7 the disksare rotatedby the means hereinafterl described, and they opcrate as shears in cutting or chopping the cotton plants. The disk 13 is provided with a` plurality of recesses 2.1, which may be 3 0i of any desired nenn-ben andi which interrup t the cuttingedges of Y thed-isk- 13 to A leave uncut plantsv atV regular intervals, and teY cause the disks-to cut down and thin out the intermediate plants; The disks are mounted on vertical shafts 22', and the disk 13 is detachably secured to the| same by a` set` screw 23,; orother suitable means to enableit'to be-removedwhen itis desired to change the distance betweenthe plantsleft standing -afterhthe chopping operation. Byfemploying a disk` havingla different numberV of recesses 21, such distances may be varied as willbereadilyunderstood. The vertical shaftsare; journaled in suitable bearing openingsof the rea-rtransverse bar 3, and

a bearing br-acket24, composed of a transverse bottom-portion and upwardly extending sides, which are bolted, v orotherwise secured to thelower face of the transversey bar 3,. The upperfporti'ons-25fofthe verticalV shafts`Y are slidable in rectangular openings 26 ofthe horizontal beveled pinions 27, which meshwith vertical bevel gears-28. The-vertical bevel gears are keyed, or. other- 551-wise securedto. atransverse shaft orl axle' 29 onwhich thecarrying wheels- 3 0 are mounted, sothat when the cotton chopper moves forward the gearingv *will beoperated torotatethe cotton chopping disks l2fand 13 'Thecotton chopping disks are vertically movable to position them properly with'y relation to the plants to be` operated on,v andthevertical shafts-are provided at pointsg intermediate off their end sf with collarsg 3 l',

6v which engage V`the upper -faceof a-lifting barn i detente@ for Yengaging. a ratchet 50.

32 having openings for the shafts, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings. lifting bar is connected by links 33 with crank bends 34 of a transverse crank shaft 35,

,'ournaled in suitable bearings of the sides of the main frame, and equipped at one end with an operating arm or handle 36. The operating arm or handle is provided with a dog or detent 37, arranged to engage a sigiiioidal ratchet 3S and connected with a latch lever 39, located adjacent to the grip portion of the handle or arm 36. 'ihe transverse crank shaft 35' is adapted to be partially rotated to raise and lower the cottonchopping disks, which may be secured at any adjustment by the ratchet mechanism of the operating arm or lever 3G. The cotton chopper is also provided with a rear plow, having spaced soil-engaging means adaptedto cultivate the soil at oppositesides ofthe row of plants operated on by the cotton chopper, and designed to throw aportion ofthe soil towards thcplants. The beam- 40 of the rear plow is connected by a suitable hinge joint 4l with the rear faceof the intermediate transverse bar 4 at the center thereof to permit the rear plow to swing upward and downward to lift it from the groundV and to arrange it for operating-onthesoil. Therearplowisequipped with plow handles 42, and is provided at opposite sides with spaced standards 43 to which may be secured shovels 44, or any other suitable soil-engaging blades or devices to cultivate the soil and to throw the sametoa greater or less extent towards the plants. The shovels 44 are detaehably secured to the stadards 43 by bolts 45 to enable-them to be removed, so that othei` soilengaging devices may be-used.

The rear plow is adapted to be supported bya rear crank shaft 46, having a central substantiallyv U-shaped loop or bend 47, arranged to receive the plow beam 44 and adapted tol support the same. The rear crank shaft 46 may be provided with a suitable operating handle 4S, having a dog or The loop47 may be swung downward to a horizontal Josition, and the plow can then be controlled by the handles, if desired. The means for partially rotating the crank shaf t 46-andvsecuring the same at any adjustment enablesthe rear plow to be set in any iosition for engaging they soil and to be icld above the ground when the front plow and the cotton chopping disks are elevated for transferring the machine from one iield or place to another.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I'claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-= Y

l; In a cotton chopper, the combination withv cho ping mechanism provided with horizonte ly movable cutters, of spaced The from to points beneath the cotton chopping mechanism to uide the plants until Vthey are engaged by t e said mechanism.

2. In a cotton chopper, the combination awith chopping mechanlsm, of spaced plows 1o arranged in advance of the chopping mechanism to ridge the cotton plants and rovided with rearwardly extending landsldes forming straight guides and terminating at their rear ends in the vertical plane of the cotton chopping mechanism for guiding the cotton plants to the same.

3. In a cotton chopper, the combination with horizontal cotton chopping disks, of spaced plows arranged in advance of the said 2o disks and provided at their inner sides with landsides extended rearwardly and terminating beneath the cotton chopping disks forV positively guiding the plants to the same.

4. In a cotton chopper, ythe combination of a frame, a horizontal shaft or axle, vertical gears mounted on the shaft, horizontal pinions meshing with the gears, vertical shafts slidable through the inions and engaged by the same, a liftin ar extending across the space between an Y engaging the shafts, a crank shaft having loops connected with the lifting bar, and cotton chopping disks carried by the shafts.

5. In a cotton cho per, the combination of a frame, a horizonta shaft or axle, vertical gears mounted on the shaft, horizontal pinions meshing with the gears, vertical shafts slidable through the pinions and engaged by the same, said shafts being provided with collars, a lifting bar extending across the space between the shafts and engaging the collars, a crank shaft having loops connected with the lifting bar, and cotton chopping means carried by the shafts.

AIn testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES A. FULLER.

Witnesses:

LEsLIE. HUBBARD, JOHN I. LINK. 

